When a peripheral device connected to an information processing apparatus such as a personal computer (PC) is operated by the PC, generally, software called a driver incorporated in the PC is used so that the processing condition in the peripheral device can be set by the driver. For example, when printing processing for image data created by the PC is performed by a printer connected to the PC, a printer driver which is one type of drivers is used to input (set) setting values to various setting items, such as the number of printing copies and a print form (for example, whether or not to perform staple processing), and to set the processing condition (printing condition).
As a specific operation in inputting values to various setting items on the printer driver, first, a user activates, for example, the printer driver and makes the PC to display a dialogue box of “property” on its display portion. Whereby, for example, when the WindowsXP (registered trademark) by Microsoft Corporation is used as an operating system of the PC, a dialogue box for printer setting is displayed on the above-described display portion as the dialogue box. Then, the user uses an input apparatus such as a pointing device to input desired setting values to the various setting items on the above-described dialogue box.
Moreover, in recent years, an environment in which a plurality of printers are connected to a PC through a network or the like is not uncommon. In such an environment, printers having different functions, respectively, are mixed in the plurality of printers used.
When performing setting for a plurality of printers having different functions, respectively, for example, settings have been conventionally performed individually through a setting dialogue box of a printer driver corresponding to each of the printers. Moreover, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2003-91385 discloses a setting method in which, with respect to a plurality of printers, common setting items are collectively set through a setting dialogue box of one group printer driver and not-common setting items are individually set through a setting dialogue box of each of the printer drivers (member drivers).
The conventional dialogue box of a printer driver is often provided with, even when a printer provided with the driver is not mounted with a predetermined function, a setting item for the function. This is because the printer can be mounted with the function optionally. Moreover, in this case, when the printer is not mounted with the predetermined function, a setting item of the function is often displayed in grayout so as not to allow setting in a setting dialogue box.
Here, the following condition is assumed. The condition is that three or more printers are communicatively connected to one PC and only one printer has a staple function. In this condition, when intending to perform printing with the staple function set to be valid, conventionally, the followings (1) and (2) are considered.
(1) In the case where settings are individually performed through a setting dialogue box of a printer driver corresponding to each printer:
In a setting dialogue box of a printer driver, when a setting item for a staple function is provided regardless of presence of the staple function and is displayed in grayout depending on whether or not the function is mounted as described above, it is possible to recognize whether or not a printer to be set currently is mounted with the staple function. However, it is impossible to recognize which printer is mounted with the staple function, thus it is necessary to switch the printers (that is, switch printer drivers) until the printer is found, which generates the labor. In addition, in the setting dialogue box of a printer driver, also in a case where a setting item for the staple function is provided only when the function is mounted, it is still impossible to recognize which printer is mounted with the staple function.
(2) In the case where a setting is performed with a setting method as disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2003-91385:
When a setting item for a staple function is provided regardless of presence of the staple function in a setting dialogue box of a printer driver (member driver), it is possible to set the staple function to be valid using a group driver and instruct printing, but it is impossible to recognize whether or not the selected printer has the staple function until the printing is performed. On the other hand, in a case where a setting item for a staple function is provided in the setting dialogue box of the member driver only when the staple function is mounted, it is also impossible to recognize which printer is mounted with the staple function and it is necessary to switch printers until the corresponding printer is found.
As described above, when intending to set a setting item for a desired function in a setting dialogue box in the conventional technology, it takes time to recognize which device is mounted with the function.